Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving hit with fines by NFL after Cardinals game

The NFL is cracking down on celebrations it deems unsportsmanlike, and two Tampa Bay Buccaneers players were recent targets of a fine in Week 13 after they played the Arizona Cardinals.

Buccaneers players Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving both celebrated a touchdown after going up 17-3 over the Cardinals last week, but in doing so, they were fined for a "violent gesture" used in their celebration.

Bucs’ Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving were both fined for a “violent gesture” in last week’s win vs. Arizona. Irving was fined $6,349, while Mayfield was fined $14,491.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) December 6, 2025

Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving fined

During their game against the Arizona Cardinals, Mayfield handed the ball off to Irving at the 15-yard line with about four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Irving housed it, and after scoring the touchdown, the two of them celebrated.

The gesture in question occurred from both players at the very end of their touchdown celebration, where they look to "wipe their nose." The gesture, popularized in rap music culture, signifies wiping an opponent's nose, or to take them out. As a result, the NFL has classified it as a "violent gesture", and it's supposed to carry a 15-yard penalty. Mayfield and Irving were not penalized on the play, but the NFL fined both players after, fining Mayfield $14,491 and Irving $6,349.

The executive vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent, elaborated on the "nose wipe" ban earlier in the year, per Pro Football Talk.

"[The nose wipe] has gang connotations; it’s disrespectful,” Vincent said. “It’s just where we are in society. Young men, they come from that era, from that age, and they’ve grown up on social media. If anybody Goggled ‘nose wipe,’ you’ll see the language that is used and where that’s affiliated. I think the players know better. I know they know better."

Here's the play in question, with the celebration at the end:

Bucky Irving is back in the end zone!

AZvsTB on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/q3j5PMZoev
— NFL (@NFL) November 30, 2025

The NFL has cracked down on celebrations that could be considered violent, and they've also placed an emphasis on taunting from one team to another in an effort to sanitize the game. Unfortunately, Mayfield and Irving have been caught on the bad end of this, and both of them have been hit with fines by the NFL.

Mayfield has employed the celebration before, and he also wasn't the only one fined for it this week. Per Pro Football Talk, Steelers receiver DK Metcalf ($14,491), Texans receiver Nico Collins ($14,491) and Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly ($5,722) were also fined for "violent gestures" in Week 13.

The Buccaneers will face the New Orleans Saints in Week 14 at 1 p.m. Mayfield and Irving hope to find the end zone again, but if they do, they might wanna keep their pockets heavy and avoid another "violent gesture," as the NFL calls it.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Buccaneers’ Mike Evans named as top-graded free agent heading into offseason

• Buccaneers' chance at making the NFL playoffs is getting tight

• Buccaneers' Todd Bowles evaluates pass rush, Haason Reddick after Cardinals win

• What getting Chris Godwin back to his old self means for Buccaneers